Arm rest for dental chairs



p 0, 1963 Y K. c. KERR 3,103,386

ARM RESTFOR DENTAL CHAIRS INVENTOR. KENNETH c. KERR United States Patent ARM REST FOR DENTAL CHAIRS Kenneth C. Kerr, 17223 Riverside, Medford, Oreg. Filed July 24, 1961, Ser. No. 126,260 1 Claim. (Cl. 297-416) This invention relates to a dental chair component and more particularly is concerned with a novel arm rest therefor.

Most dental chairs now in use have been designed principally for function without regard for the patients comfort. These chairs utilize hard, non-upholstered surfaces on the arm rest-s which of course do not reduce in the least the state of anxiety which usually exists in the patient. Furthermore, the arm rests now employed, or other parts of the chair, do not serve as a leaning support for the dentist. That is, the dentist does not have any portion of the chair to lean against when operating on the. patient, or if he does lean against the arm rest, then he bodily contacts the patients arm. Also there has been no dividing means set-ting apart an area for the patient and a work area for the dentist.

Accordingly it is an important object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages set forth above, and more particularly to provide an arm rest for a dental chair which accomplishes the following examples, all directed primarily to the purpose of making the patient comfortable and to reduce tension as well as also to provide greater efiiciency of working time and comfort for the dentist (1) It provides a partition between the patient and the dentist and thus prevents body contact therebetween, resulting in a more secure feeling on the part of the patient;

(2) It provides a comfortable support for the patients arms which also contributes to a feeling of security and reduces tension;

(3) It supports the patients arm and elbow within the confines of the chair and thus provides a private working area for the dentist;

(4) It prevents the patients arms from falling into the dentists work area when the patient is under anaesthesia or hypnosis;

(5) It improves the appearance of the chair which also induces relaxation of the patient; and

(6) It provides a comfortable leaning support for the dentist.

Still another object is to provide a dental chair arm rest having means which may be gripped by the patient to assist him in getting into and out of the chair.

A further object is to provide a dental chair arm rest which is inexpensive to manufacture and which may be readily installed on new or existing chairs.

Broadly stated, the present invention comprises an upholstered base portion which is adapted to be secured to dental chair structures and which has a substantially horizontal flat portion comprising an arm rest tor the patient and an upwardly projecting wall portion. The parts are arranged so that the patient can lay his arm on the rest with comfort and the dentist may lean against the rest without contacting the patient.

The invention will be better understood and other objects thereof will become apparent from the accompanying specification and claims considered together with the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals of reference indicate like parts, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the present dental chair arm rest looking at the patients side thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the rest;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view thereof;

FIGURE 4 is a foreshortened side elevational view taken on the side opposite that of FIGURE 1, i.e., on the v I 3', 033 8 Patented Sept. 10, I963 area side; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 ofFIGURE3.

Although the present invention is described herein as being utilized in combination with a dental chair, it is obvious that it may be used on other types of chairs such as those used in medical clinics, transportation vehicles, barber chairs, or the like.

Reterring now inparticular to the drawings,the present arm rest is designated generally by the number 24' and has a lower flat surface portion 22 by means of which it may be seated on and secured to dental chair arrn portions 14. These arm portions may comprise horizontal frame members or if the present restis installed on existing chairs such portions may comprise the arms themselves. The arm rest 24 carries depending adjustable band clamps 16 adapted to be secured to such arm portions. It is to be understood that other forms of attachment may be utilized tor mounting the present rest on either new or existing chair parts.

Arm rest 24 includes a substantially flat and horizontal body portion 26, an upstanding portion 28 along one side edge thereof, and a downwardly projecting portion 30 along its other edge. structed o-r rigid material such as wood and is suitably upholstered.

Upholstered body portion 26 presents substantially a flat supporting surface 34 on which the patient may rest his arm. The forward end 36 of this surface is rounded and may serve as a finger grip to assist. the patient in getting into or out of the chair.

The upstanding body portion 28 has opposite surfaces 40 and 42 both of which are upholstered. This upstanding portion is disposed along the outside edge of the rest whereby the patients arm when supported on surface 34 is confined interiorly of the. chair. The outside surface 42 provides a leaning support for the dentist. 'Ihereby, it will be apparent that the body portion 28 comprises a dividing wall between the patient and the dentist, whereby the patient can rest his arm on the surface 34 in a comfortable position and at the same time the dentist can lean against the rest without engaging the patients arm.

Downwardly projecting portion 30 is provided to enhance the appearance of the device, and for this same pur pose as well as to provide comfort for the patient the juncture of the surface 34 and surface of portion 30 comprises a rounded corner portion 44.

The present invention thus comprises an arm rest providing comfortable support for the patients arm which in appearance and support operates to reduce anxiety existing in the patient. Furthermore, the inside upholstered surface 40 presents a side supporting surface for the arm and a leaning surface for the dentist, thus preventingany body contact between the dentist and the patient. r

Thus, it will be seen that the present arm rest, by reason of the comfort to the patient which it provides and the setting apart of the patient area from the dentists work area, produces a feeling of security to the patient and reduces anxiety. The arm rest also assists the dentist in that he can lean comfortably against the upholstered surface 42 and at the same time not be concernedwith bodily contacting the patient. The private working area of the dentist is maintained since the patients arm does not move outside of the upstanding portion 28. This is atso true even though the patient may be under anesthetic or hypnotized. V r I It is to be understood that the form of my invention herein shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to Arm rest 24 may be suitably con-- without departing from the spirit of my invention or being cushioned on each side thereof and providing on one the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having now described my invention and in what manner the samemay be used, what I claim as new anddesire to protect by letters Patent is:

A chair armtes-tfor lchai-rs of the type supporting a person for workthereon 'by an attendant comprising a cushioned 'body portion adapted, to seat on side frame structure of the chair, adjustable clamp means on said body portion adapted to clamp around the side [frame structure of the chair to secure said body portion thereon, an upstanding, substantially full length portion projecting integrally from said body portion along one side thereof comprising the, outer side relative to the chair on which the rest is adapted to -be mounted, said upstanding portion 15 1,

side a lateral arm support and on the other side a leaning support for the attendant, and a downwardly projecting substantially full length portion projecting from said body portion along the other side thereof comprising the inner side relative to, the chair, said downwardly projecting portion being cushioned and joining said body portion in a rounded upper surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,247,547 KoEune Nov. 20, 1917 1,402,292 Heckfl- Jan. 3, 1922 2,225,818 Brooks Dec. 24, 1940 Soucie June 23, 1959 

